Sunday 4 March 2007

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Tech News

Leo’s colleague Vicki Haddock recently wrote about the demise of legible handwriting. With the majority of writing going to the computer. There have been studies showing that people who write neatly score an average of 4% higher on essay tests. Leo questions whether we need to even learn cursive or handwriting anymore. He suggests that we all should definitely learn keyboarding.

A Windows Vista brute force key generator was proven to be a hoax. However, a group known as Paradox has released a working crack for Vista which is a “BIOS emulation toolkit” which skips the activation process entirely.

Anytime a barrier is set up in software, hackers will figure out a way around out. Look at the AACS encryption on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD: the processing keys were extracted. On the other hand, the AACS group may begin to enforce something known as key revocation.

Cisco and Apple finally smoked the peace pipe on the iPhone trademark.

If you’re using Windows, a patch was released for the new Daylight Savings Time settings in America. RIM has also released a patch for Blackberries. You may want to recheck your Outlook entries as well. If you do not install the patches, a mini-Y2K may occur.

Library Thing is a site that will allow you to share the books in your personal library and swap books with other people.

Guests

Merlin Mann on email

• Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone, preferred ahoy-hoy to greet people
• People generally start emails like letters
• CC = carbon copy
• BCC = blind carbon copy
• Leo and Merlin generally start off emails simply talking
• Keep signatures relatively concise
• Make sure to summarize email in subject line
  • 5–7 words maximum
  • Leo thinks subject line shouldn’t contain contents of message
  • Can be a question
• Huge debates about starting message above or below quoted text
  • Leo “top posts”
  • Merlin “bottom posts”
• Merlin has written extensively on how to keep on top of your email.

Rick on web services

• New services allow us to grow beyond bonds of web browser
• New York Times Reader uses Windows Presentation Foundation
  • Can basically get entire newspaper
  • Down arrow goes to next article
  • Right arrow to continue reading
• Downloads all content and can read unplugged
• RSS feeds are a standard
• Articles not deep linked in Reader
• Works on Windows Vista/XP
• Some parts still exclusive to paper
• No support for multimedia

Ron on gadgets

• The Slingbox allows you to watch TV from your home on your computer around the world.
  • Like sitting in your own living room
  • Doesn’t look as good as TV
  • Pro model has capability for high definition
  • Upload speed is of the utmost importance
  • Can even watch Slingbox on Windows Mobile and Palm OS!
• Access a world of information from your mobile device using Pocket Express
  • Measly $6.99 a month

Hour 1

Q Ronald from Hell’s Kitchen, NY - Using wired router as a hub

• Running out of ethernet ports on WiFi router
  • Wants to use old wired router to extend ports
• Use something called bridge mode
  • All routers have differing nomenclature
• Don’t want it to use DHCP
  • DHCP = automatically assigning IP addresses

Q Bill from Santa Monica, CA - Running Windows 98 without protection

• Wants to prevent bloat
• If you want to be security expert, go ahead
• Behavior far more important than all protection software
• Possible for Windows to have flaws for worms to affect system
  • Microsoft ships patches monthly
  • Windows 98 no longer supported
    • Microsoft not going to fix holes
• Use Ubuntu Linux
  • Free, secure, constantly patched

Q Dave from Madison, WI - Advertising on podcasts

• Wants to buy advertising on podcasts
  • How to find right podcasts
  • How much to pay
• Many advertisers reluctant
• More expensive than radio in general
  • Leo chargest $50–75 cost per thousand
• Contact Leo for more information

Q Mitchell from Sherman Oaks, CA - Blackberry and Lotus Smart Suite

• Trying to sync with Lotus Organizer
• Need to find program specifically designed for purpose
• Blackberry Desktop Manager should sync both ways

Q Eric from Studio City, CA - Selling merchandize/Taking preorders of music

• Has wife who recorded album
• Many content management systems have e-commerce plugins
  • Content manage systems are dynamic sites
    • engine, content, page layout
    • have ability for much flexibility
• Leo doesn’t recommend iWeb
• Move to Wordpress
  • Don’t use something static

Hour 2

Q Frank - Windows installing updates when shutting down laptop

• Patch installation not finishing
• If patch gets interrupted or fails, then cannot go on and get newer ones
• Need to dig into system and remove failed install files
• Microsoft has a knowledge base article regarding issue

Q Jennifer from Burbank, CA - Sound card problem

• Computer set at 100%, but speakers sound at 2–3%
• Problem isn’t sound card
  • Speakers’ job is to amplify
  • Make sure speakers are powered
• Video capture card will capture tapes’ video and audio
• Digital video should be captured over Firewire

Q Scott from Stockton - Can’t connect using AOL on Cingular AirCard

• Cingular says some issues with AOL 9.0
• Probably some security software built into AOL 9
• People not using standard ports
• AOL going to phase out walled garden eventually

Q John from Tustin, CA - Uninstalling NoShare

• NoShare won’t allow him to view web pages
  • Juno needs file sharing open
    • Matter of concern - Leo will look into it.
    • Opens up computer for anyone to access computer
• LetShare reverses NoShare

Q Phil from Los Angeles, CA - NTFS vs. FAT32

• Windows 98/ME can’t read NTFS
  • highly recommended to use NTFS
• Fragments less
• Journaled file system

Hour 3

Q Jeff from Seal Beach, CA - Acronis disk image won’t work

• Boot up stops at Windows blue screen
• Windows keeps track of hard drives
  • If drive configuration has changed, may not work
• Take out second drive, then restore image and boot
• Other hard drive may have boot loader on it
• Drive configuration must be exactly same
• Loader not part of image
• Drive Image XML is free imaging tool

Q Dan from Santa Clarita, cA - Videos not looking great on Dell 24″ screen

• Complaining of fuzzy video in full screen mode
• Computer monitors much better than TV
  • Higher resolution
• Average TV signal has about 400 lines vertically
  • Dell monitor has 3x vertical resolution
• Blowing up TV signal 3x
• You’re seeing how bad standard definition
• DVDs are 480 lines
• You have HD monitor
• Good television/good DVD player should upscale
• Reduce size of window or get HD signal

Q Tony from Fullerton, CA - Good hard drive cleaner

• Wants to get rid of old computer
• Cannot do secure erase within Windows
• Download Darik’s Boot and Nuke
  • Download
  • Load on CD, floppy, or USB drive
  • Will erase to military specs

Q Ward from Madison, WI - Going to buy a 20″ iMac

• Wants to run Windows on a Mac
  • Trying to decide XP vs. Vista
• Leo uses Parallels
• Use whatever you got
• Vista runs fine on Parallels
  • Won’t get Aero
  • XP uses less RAM though
• With enough RAM, can run as many virtual machines as you want
  • Wouldn’t run with less than 2gb RAM
• Parallels simulates very generic PC
• Viruses on Windows won’t affect Mac portion
  • Make copy of Windows virtual machine
  • If infected, drag to trash and start over with original copy

Q Mike from Canoga Park - Portable GPS

• TomTom Go 700 vs. Garmin Nuvi
• Go with Garmin Nuvi
  • Leo not a fan of Garmin
  • TomTom software not very good
  • Worth every penny